


Boomerang

by emperorpenguin (dortmundbvbbabe)



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst with a Happy Ending, Breaking Up & Making Up, M/M, Model! Leon Artist!Matthew
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 23:02:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29891886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dortmundbvbbabe/pseuds/emperorpenguin
Summary: A few years ago Matthew broke up with Leon and Leon had no idea why. Years later, they meet again unexpectedly on a date they had set aside earlier in their relationship and questions arise about the past. Leon is famous now, and Matthew's respected in his own right as an artist, but will the same feelings they had reawaken?
Relationships: Leon Draisaitl/Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl/Matthew Tkachuk
Comments: 6
Kudos: 59





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally from another fandom, but I thought it fit Mattdrai really well. Hope you enjoy in time for the Battle of Alberta

Leon leaned against the window of the Chrysler Building and looked down at his watch. It was 7:49 pm, Matthew wasn’t coming. Not that he wanted him to come, he hadn’t seen the other in three years, but there was something sad about him not coming. It was like a slap in the face to Leon that Matthew didn’t bother to show up, but then again their relationship hadn’t meant a whole lot to Matthew so he was wrong in supposing that he would remember the promise that he had made to Leon five years ago to the day. Besides, maybe by him not showing up would be the catalyst that Leon needed to finally get over Matthew, not that he wasn’t over him, it was just that there was no closure.

_ They found themselves standing on the top of Chrysler Building shivering in the cool autumn breeze. Matthew wrapped his arms around Leon’s body and pulled him close, he convinced Leon to allow him to hold him close under the guise of keeping warm, but in reality, both of them knew that it was just an excuse to hold Leon close to him. _

_It was embarrassing, really, that after all the years of living in New York, Matthew had never been up to the top. On the eve of their first anniversary together, Leon finally convinced the other to come up to the top. “This is my favorite place in all of New York.” Leon murmured as he pressed back against Matthew’s broad, chiseled chest. “You can see all of New York up here.” Matthew surveyed the area and was in awe of the illuminated skyline that shined at night time._

_“Exactly five years from now, I’m going to bring you up here and ask you to spend the rest of your life with me.” Leon was thankful that he was turned the other way as Matthew whispered the words into his ear._

_“If you ask me, I’ll say ‘yes’.” Leon blushed at his brazen statement, but Matthew’s heart leapt for joy at that promise that Leon made._

That promise was made before Leon became famous. As the chilly breeze made him shiver like that night and he remembered the feeling of Matthew’s body pressed up against his. He hadn’t felt the warmth in over three years, but even before that Matthew had been drifting away from him. He looked down at his watch and saw it was 8:00 pm. He sighed and turned around to leave. Matthew wasn’t coming.

He shoved his hands into his coat pockets and buried his face into his scarf so that other people wouldn’t recognize him. As he turned the corner he bumped into someone knocking him on the ground. “I’m so sorry,” Leon apologized and stretched out his hand to help the man up. When the man turned his head, Leon gasped and immediately retracted his hand. The man pushed himself up off the floor and stood up next to Leon holding his gaze. “Leon.”

“Matthew,” Leon replied stiffly and Matthew visibly flinched at the coldness of Leon’s address.

“What are you doing here?” Leon asked bitterly.

“Probably the same thing as you, I wasn’t sure if you’d come.” Matthew said evasively.

“What are you doing here?” Leon repeated coldly.

“I wanted to see you, but I wasn’t sure if you’d be here, you know for old time’s sake.” Matthew said sadly. Leon was acting coldly, but he wasn’t expecting anything else after what had happened between them.

“What the hell?” Leon hissed lowly so as to not attract attention. “I haven’t heard from you in over three years, and you made it perfectly clear to me that you didn’t want me in your life and you have the audacity to say such shit. Did you forget that day?”

_Leon had waited for Matthew for hours. He’d said he’d be home around 6:00 pm and it was already 10:35. Every few minutes he checked his cell phone but there were no missed calls or unopened text messages and Leon was beginning to get worried. A little after 11 pm Matthew returned home and shut the door behind him. “Hey,” Leon greeted wondering where Matthew had been, but nevertheless went to embrace him. He figured that things at work had forced him to stay over, he, of course, knew better than anyone. There had been countless days when he had returned home and unthinkable hours because a modeling job ran over or they needed to reshoot a few things. When Leon approached Matthew, he noticed the other looked abnormally stoic. Leon went to wrap his arms around the other but Matthew brushed his hands away and pushed his way past Leon._

_He started gathering a few things here and there, books, some clothes, and Leon was utterly confused. “We’re through,” Matthew declared with his back turned away from Leon as he gathered his things._

_“What?!” Leon exclaimed shell shocked by what Matthew had said. “No, it’s not true!” Leon protested tears spilling from his eyes. When Matthew packed his hockey gear, Leon knew that it was true._

_“Why?” Leon begged, “Is it something I did? If it is I’ll apologize over and over, we can go get help. I’ll cut down my work hours. Please.” Leon reached to hold on to Matthew’s wrist pleading for them to talk about it, but Matthew jerked his arm away with so much strength that Leon fell to the floor._

_“It’s not going to work out, I’m sick of this, it’s just too much effort.” Matthew hissed and his words cut into Leon’s heart. “I don’t want to be with you anymore.” And then he said something that he knew was the only thing that would keep Leon from chasing after him. “If we continue this, I’ll grow to hate you.”_

_Leon didn’t know what to say or do. Matthew had just broken his heart. He didn’t even have the strength to try and stop him anymore and all he could do was watch Matthew leave. As the door slammed shut he ran up and pounded against it, sobbing hysterically. Where did they go wrong?_

Matthew blushed and looked down ashamedly as he recalled what he had said that day. “You’re fine now.” Matthew said bitterly and Leon looked at him horrified. He would have said something had two girls not spotted him and approached the two.

“Leon, can we get an autograph and take a picture with you?” Leon sighed, he didn’t want to but he couldn’t risk bad press getting out. He forced a smile and signed a piece of paper that they had offered towards him and watched as they asked someone nearby to take their picture. From the corner of his eye Leon saw Matthew slink away as a crowd grew around him.

When he was finally able to break free from the throng of people Matthew was gone and as much as he hated that man, questions began to enter his mind. Why did he show up? What did that mean by “You’re fine now.”

He headed home and walked up the few flights that led to his apartment. The lights were turned off, but when Leon tripped in the hallway over a pair of shoes, he knew that he wasn’t alone. He headed into his bedroom and shut the door and when the door clicked shut, Leon felt a pair of arms wrap around him. He felt warm breaths on the back of his neck and felt the warmth of a bare chest being pressed against his clothed back and for a split second of momentary confusion he thought that it was Matthew. He felt a kiss press onto the nape of his neck as the hands began to work their way undoing the buttons of his shirt and pulling the fabric off of him. “Welcome home,” A voice whispered seductively in his ear. Connor. “Thanks,” he replied and turned his head so that his lips captured Connor’s.

In a smaller, shabbier apartment in a much darker side of New York, Matthew greeted his roommate, Sam, and excused himself to his room. Sam glanced over at Matthew’s closed door and noted Matthew’s gloomy mood. He knew that it could only be caused by one thing: Leon.

In the privacy of his own room, he gently held up a picture of him and Leon before he had become famous. They were only kids at the time but already they were together. In the picture, Leon was pressing a kiss to Matthew’s cheek as he looked into the camera lens and grinned. They were both so happy at the time, that was all before Leon had been scouted on the street. “Congratulations, Leon,” Matthew said gingerly as he trailed his fingers across the picture. “You’re finally happy,” Matthew smiled bitterly as he realized that it was the last time that he’d ever see Leon again, up close like that. From now on he’d resign himself to looking at Leon from away.

When he went to bed that evening his dreams were haunted by memories of that day when Leon came home announcing that he’d been scouted.

_ “Matty!!!!” Leon had yelled as he ran into the home that they shared and leapt onto an unsuspecting Matthew tackling him to the floor. _

_“What?” Matthew asked as he looked at Leon’s beaming face on top of him._

_“I got the audition,” Leon leaned down and kissed Matthew passionately and Matthew responded. They lay like that on the floor kissing and running their hands down each other’s body expressively until they had lost their breath and needed to separate._

_Leon fished out a card from his pocket and explained to Matthew that it was from the photographer that he was going to be working with for his first modeling job. Nobody could be sure who was more ecstatic that day, Matthew or Leon. They had had many conversations about Leon trying to make it as a model and eventually an actor and Matthew was the only one in his life, when after having shared these dreams with him, didn’t laugh. Instead Matthew patiently encouraged him and after failed auditions would always scoop him up and cradle him while he lamented a missed opportunity._

_That night after several feverish and passionate sessions of lovemaking, Leon leaned over and picked up a magazine that was lying on the nightstand. He scooted over to Matthew who looked at what Leon was pointing to. “See him. In a few years I’m going to be just like him.” Leon promised Matthew and Matthew took the magazine away from him and folded it up to pull him into an embrace and kissed him. But before the magazine folded Matthew saw the name of the model that Leon had idolized. Connor McDavid._

Leon woke up in a cold sweat gasping for breath. He sat up and pushed the covers off of himself. It had been a while since he had last dreamt about Matthew breaking up with him, but the memory was ever so clear. He pushed the covers off of himself and stood up, walking over to the balcony. In the process, he woke Connor up and after a couple of minutes of gazing up at the sky Connor joined him and kissed his shoulder. 

“Did you have a nightmare again?” Connor asked. Their relationship had been plagued with Leon waking up in the middle of the night with the same nightmare. Though Leon never told him what it was, Connor was able to guess from the bits and pieces that Leon had called out at the beginning. When they were first starting out about two and a half years ago, Leon woke up paralyzed and sobbing each time he’d had these nightmares, now he no longer woke up in tears, but the nightmares were still strong enough that they made him get out of bed. While Connor was able to fall back to sleep, Leon wasn’t able to. That night was agonizing as he replayed the events that had unfolded at the Chrysler Building and the night that Matthew broke his heart. He should be over him by now, but things just weren’t adding up.

The next day, he had off but Connor didn’t, so he found himself walking towards Sam’s apartment, or where Sam used to live, he had no idea if Sam still lived there, but he knew that was the best way that he could contact Matthew. He needed answers, things had been going well and then out of the blue Matthew dumped him and after he showed up at the Chrysler Building, Leon was left completely confused by Matthew’s actions. He passed a billboard with his and Connor’s faces plastered on it posing shirtless on a couch, suggestively. By now it was hardly a secret that he and Connor were dating, in fact that was probably one of the reasons why he did get as many jobs as he did nowadays. Photographers and advertisers always seemed to find ways to exploit their relationship; not that Connor minded, and Leon didn’t mind working with Connor, it was just the fact that their relationship had seemed to become fodder for entertainment.

He reached what he thought was Sam’s apartment and knocked on the door. When the door opened, Sam didn’t answer, but another man who he had never seen before. In obvious recognition the man gaped at him and stuttered after Leon asked if Sam still lived there. “Y-yes, he’s just inside.” The other man ushered him in and called for Sam still looking Leon up and down. “I’m Johnny, It’s nice to meet you.” Johnny shook Leon’s hand in awe having heard so much about Leon, but never realizing that the man that Sam and Matthew had talked about was Leon Draisaitl, internationally recognized model.

“Leon,” Sam greeted warmly and hugged his friend. He ushered him to take a seat in the chair across from the sofa where Sam and Johnny were sitting.

“I came to ask about Matthew.” Both Sam and Johnny raised their eyebrows in surprise. “Why did he break up with me? You know don’t you?” He asked accusatorily.

“I do, and it wasn’t what he said. He told me the cruel things that he told you and I know how much that must have hurt you. But he didn’t mean it. He didn’t mean any of it.”

“Why, then?” Leon choked out, “Why did he break up with me?”

“I don’t think that I should be the one to tell you that.” Sam replied sadly, he stood up and Leon followed his movement as he went to the keybowl and fished out a copper key which he held out to Leon . “Here’s this. It’s the key for Matthew’s gallery in Chelsea. You should go there around 9:00 pm tonight. I think a lot of your questions will be answered there.”

Leon stayed around for some idle chatter and after Johnny got over the fact that Leon was Leon Draisaitl, Leon found his presence pleasant and a nice addition to the Sam-Matthew friendship group. Sam offered to let Leon stay for dinner, but Leon departed early and headed for the address that Sam had given him.

He bought a hat and sunglasses to conceal his face and entered the well-populated gallery that now belonged to Matthew. He entered a crowd of well-dressed people who glided along the walls of the gallery pointing at some of the paintings. Leon recognized a few that Matthew had painted when they were together, but they were some that dated back that he didn’t recognize.

The woman on his right commented to the other people that she was with, “The artist must have felt inferior to someone. The person that he painted is much higher up on painting and much larger from the perspective.” Leon looked at the painting to see what the woman was describing. He didn’t know much about art, when they had lived together and Matthew had asked his opinions on things. He mostly just replied that he liked or disliked them, more liked than disliked, but hearing the woman’s commentary gave him insight into Matthew’s paintings and perhaps into Matthew himself as they walked around the gallery.

There were ones with somber colors and others with more vibrant ones, but upon noting the dates of the more morose paintings, they were all after their break-up. At the very end of the gallery, the woman commented, “This was obviously somebody who the artist really loved.” But when Leon saw the painting, it took his breath away from him. There was no reason for the woman to say anything, the painting said it all. From the angle that the painting was created, the man’s face was obscured, but from the contours and detailing from the back, Leon knew that the figure was him. In the picture he was glowing, from the angle that it was painted, a part of a broad smile could be seen from the man’s face, his face. He was lying in bed, on his stomach, with just the sheet wrapped around his waist to give him some dignity.

His bare back came out from under the sheets and Matthew had captured the way his arms propped him up and the happiness that Leon exuded at that moment. Leon saw himself in that picture and he was beautiful. He had never seen the finished painting before, but he remembered the circumstances that had surrounded it.

_“Welcome home,” Leon had perked up at hearing Matthew’s voice call out “Hello,” and bounded for the door embracing his lover as he hung his coat up on one of the hooks by the doorway. Leon gently turned Matthew’s head and planted a kiss on his lip. “You won’t believe you I get to work with in a week!” Before Matthew could ask, Leon exclaimed, “Connor McDavid.”_

_Matthew beamed and picked Leon up and spun him around. “Really?” Leon leaned down and kissed his boyfriend and Matthew carried him to their bedroom. Their fingers fumbled at each other’s clothes trying to extract themselves from them as quickly as possible. Their fingers intertwined and Matthew gently pressed into Leon , both beaming as they celebrated the news that Leon had just received. There were no words needed as they came together and Leon rested himself on Matthew’s chest._

_“You were the first person that I wanted to tell.” Leon said and Matthew’s heart leapt at his boyfriend’s words._

_“I love you so much, Leon.” Matthew kissed him over and over again until they both fell asleep on each other. When Leon woke up the next morning, he looked over and Matthew was already awake chewing on his lips, as if he was pondering something._

_“What?” Leon asked worriedly._

_“Nothing.” Matthew blushed and turned his head away from Leon. He sat up straight and gently turned his head towards Matthew, now growing even more concerned._

_“You can tell me anything you know, right?” Matthew turned a bright red and mumbled something under his breath. Leon gently, patiently stroked Matthew’s hair. “What is it?”_

_“Can I paint you?” Matthew asked, embarrassed and not able to meet Leon’s gaze._

_“Is that it?” Leon chuckled and Matthew ducked his head under the covers. “Of course you can!” Leon grinned and pulled the covers off of Matthew’s face. Matthew got out of bed, not bothering to put on clothes and moved his easel, brushes and paints in the room. By then Leon had propped himself up on his forearms while waiting for Matthew to return and when he heard his lover enter he went to turn around, but Matthew stopped him._

_“You’re fine like that.” Matthew said, and Leon froze accustomed for modeling jobs to take on awkward positions, thought this one was hardly the worst._

_As he tried to stay as still as possible, and talked to Matthew while he heard brush strokes swipe across the canvas. “So what am I now, your muse?” Leon joked, not being able to see Matthew’s face._

_“You always were.” Matthew replied seriously and Leon had to will himself not to look back at Matthew’s expression, though it was probably good since he had turned beet red. Leon turned the conversation onto his upcoming job and the theme that they had set forth for him and Connor and Matthew listened patiently. After a few hours spent like that, Matthew collected his things and moved them to the room they’d shelled out to be his art studio, the one room where Leon didn’t enter. It was Matthew’s private space, filled with oils, paints, and works in progress that Leon knew he’d see when Matthew was ready. When Matthew returned to spend the rest of the day as a lazy day in bed, Leon asked when he would be able to see it._

_“When it’s finished.” Matthew replied shyly and hugged and kissed Leon over and over and over again._

Leon never saw that picture finished because five months later Matthew broke up with him.

Seeing that image of himself and remembering that day made tears spring to Leon’s eyes and he practically ran out of the gallery before the tears overflowed and he was left with more questions than even. Walking through that gallery made him realize how little he knew about the man that he had supposedly loved. Matthew had felt inferior to someone, was it him? Why was that picture up in the gallery if Matthew didn’t love him? Leon walked across the street to the coffee shop when he had calmed down enough and waited until Sam had told him to go over to Matthew’s gallery. From his vantage point, he soon saw people file out of the gallery and watched as a figure approached the door to turn off the lights. Matthew.

When it looked like Matthew had left, Leon mustered up the courage to enter the gallery. He turned on the lights that Matthew had just turned off. In the freedom of being alone in the large gallery Leon took his time with every piece that Matthew had created and it felt like he was taking a walk through Matthew’s life. There was the one that he was in, but there were others as well. There were ones that predated their relationship mostly the subject of nature, there were ones that he had seen while they were together, but after they broke up, the paintings changed. They were darker, they seemed sadder, and they became more abstract. Did you suffer? Leon wondered and realized that there were many, many things that he didn’t know about Matthew. In the corner of the gallery was a door with a sign that said: Do Not Enter. PRIVATE, and when Leon got closer he noticed that it hadn’t been properly shut. He knew that he shouldn’t enter, but curiosity got the better of him. The room was pitch black and Leon fumbled for the light switch. When his hand finally reached it, he illuminated the room and was stunned at Matthew’s studio. On the wall, almost covering every bare inch of space were paintings and they all had the same subject: him.

He moved further into the room and his leg brushed against a pile of magazines on the floor scattering them. Leon bent down to pick them up and when he looked at the covers he realized that all of the magazines were ones that he had posed in. Scattered in the magazines were pictures that Matthew must have printed up from the internet. He panned the paintings on the wall and each on encapsulated a moment in their lives together.

The first was one of Leon as a little boy, right when their friendship had first started. The second was one of Leon cradling a puppy, the one that he had rescued as a teenager and had fostered. The third and fourth were ones where Leon was smiling, but the fifth was of Leon crying probably after a failed audition, the painting, unlike the previous ones was darker and more morose and in the background was a hand reaching out to comfort him. It was Matthew’s.

There were ones that followed that were painting of pictures that had been taken of Leon as a model, some of his earlier work. But there was one that broke his heart. It was a picture of him sobbing on the floor; it was the day that Matthew had broken up with him and perhaps it was just Leon reading into the picture, maybe it was something he wanted to see and wasn’t even there, but he thought, maybe, just maybe, Matthew was just as heartbroken. The ones that followed were just copies of magazine covers that Leon had been on after they’d become estranged. The words that Matthew had told him that one day echoed in his mind. 

_"_ _ So what am I now, your muse?” _

_“You always were.”_

Leon further approached the paintings and noted the dates when they were created. They were all made after their breakup. He was left confused and completely unsure of what Matthew was thinking, but there were two things that he was absolutely sure of. He needed to talk to Matthew. And secondly, nobody creates a private gallery, hidden away from the world, about somebody that they claim to hate.

Leon stood in awe and didn’t even hear the door of the gallery open again. He should have heard the pounding footsteps that raced towards him but he didn’t. The only thing that shook him out of his reverie was a voice that came from behind him.

“I don’t know who you are, but you need to leave or I’m calling the police.” Matthew. His voice tried to be authoritative, but in reality there was a quiver to his voice.

Leon turned around and when Matthew saw his face and realized that Leon had seen all of his paintings, his private paintings, the ones that were all about him, he had a look of sheer terror. “What are you doing here?” Matthew asked.

Leon held up the key that Sam had given him and waved it in the air, “Sam told me I should come. We need to talk.” Leon said and held Matthew’s gaze. He could have sworn that Matthew cursed Sam under his breath.


	2. Chapter 2

“Sorry, Drat, you shouldn’t waste your time,” Matthew turned to leave, but this time Leon wasn’t going to sit by and passively watch him leave. He spun him around and pinned him against the wall. “Why did you break up with me?” Leon asked afraid of the answer, but he still wanted to hear it.

“I got tired of seeing you. You started to annoy me.” Matthew repeated the same sentiments as he had when they broke up but this time his conviction was weakened.

“You don’t get to do this.” Leon hissed. “You don’t paint someone who annoys you over and over again. You don’t collect the magazines that they are featured in. You don’t get to do that and then say that you are tired of me.”

“I was holding you back,” Matthew admitted and slid down the wall.

“When did I ever tell you that?” Leon yelled. “When did I ever say that you were a hindrance.”

“You didn’t have to.” Matthew roared back.

_ “There’s a party that I’m invited to, it’s the unveiling of Connor and my photoshoot.” Leon brought up as they were lying in bed. “And I was wondering if you’d be willing to be my date?” Leon blushed shyly and Matthew smiled up at him. _

_“I would be honored.”_

_“Really?” Leon perked up and wrapped his arms around Matthew’s neck. “It’s nothing that fancy, but just meeting with a few people, but I really want you there so thank you for being willing to come.” Leon smiled into the crook of Matthew’s neck. A few days later, a package arrived onto their doorstep for Matthew and he figured it was what Leon wanted him to wear to the party the next day since Leon couldn’t pick it out himself being that he was at a photoshoot for a few days._

_When Matthew opened up the box, inside lay a perfectly ironed tuxedo,”Nothing fancy, right.” Matthew tried on the tux and looked at himself in the mirror and frowned, Leon was perfectly built for a tuxedo, but Matthew didn’t fill it out as well, and he was convinced that it made him look like a penguin._

_Leon returned home the day of the party and whistled when he saw Matthew wearing his tux. “What did I do to get such a sexy boyfriend?” Matthew looked Leon up and down and was once again reminded as to why Leon was a model. The tuxedo that he wore was tailored to his size exactly and a primal part of Matthew wanted to tear it off of him._

_“You don’t look too bad yourself.” Matthew flirted innocently. ”Come on.” Leon held his hand and they hailed a cab together and went to the address of the party. When they entered Matthew looked up at the vast ceilings and the ornately decorated walls in awe. Who had this much money? When they entered they, rather Leon, was warmly greeted by a throng near the doorway and they slowly made their way through the crowd of people._

_Leon introduced him to a few of his model friends and excused himself to mingle with a few of the higher ups that were there. Matthew tried to make small talk and the people that Leon had left him with were nice enough, but it was clear that he was an outsider to their world. They made some small talk but eventually they went their own ways and left Matthew near the corner of the room alone._

_It’s not that he minded, he looked around the room to find Leon and smiled as he saw him chatting animatedly with a few people that he’d only seen on the television before. A few people who didn’t know who Matthew was approached him in hopes of getting a career boost by conversing with him.”Who are you with?” They asked politely and Matthew replied with a proud smile, “Leon Draisaitl.”_

_“Are you his manager? Assistant?” The asked hoping to pry some details about Leon from Matthew._

_“I’m his boyfriend actually.” Matthew said sheepishly. One of the women apologized immediately and said, “Sorry we were mistaken, it’s just Leon is so attractive and, well,…” Her voice trailed off, but Matthew understood what she meant. Leon was attractive and he was just plain, it was like they didn’t even look like they belonged together._

_After they parted, Matthew felt ashamed that Leon was tied with him, he didn’t belong with someone like Leon , someone so perfect, and kind, and gorgeous, when he was just an unknown, struggling artist. They weren’t even in the same world. A man caught his eye and excused himself from the crowd he was with to approach Matthew. The man reached out a hand and smiled warmly at Matthew, “You’re Matthew Tkachuk, right? Leon’s boyfriend. He’s raved about you.” Matthew smiled at that and regained some of his lost confidence from the previous conversation. “I’m Connor McDavid, it’s nice to finally meet you.”_

_Leon glanced over to where Matthew was talking with Connor, he smiled and found a way to cut off the conversation and approach the other two. “You two finally met.” And he threw a friendly arm over Connor’s shoulder. Connor waved goodbye to the two and left, Leon noticed a frown on Matthew’s face._

_“Is everything okay?” He asked concernedly and when to brush a stray piece of hair from Matthew’s face like he usually did to soothe Matthew when he was stressed, but this time Matthew brushed his hand off surprising the two of them. “Sorry, everything’s fine, I’m just tired.”_

_They stayed there a little bit longer, but the entire time Matthew seemed disturbed and preoccupied and Leon worried about him. In the privacy of their home, after they’d changed into more comfortable clothes, Leon hugged Matthew and asked him what was wrong._

_“I’m fine, Leon. Sorry for worrying you,” Matthew flashed a smile, but Leon thought it was forced._

“That night. At the party, you started acting weird. After that you started to avoid and ignore me. Did someone say something to you?” Leon remembered that right before Matthew started acting bizarrely he’d been talking to Connor. “What did Connor say to you?” Leon demanded, feeling hurt at the thought that his current boyfriend could have been the reason that broke them up.

Matthew shook his head, “It wasn’t Connor or anybody else, I just didn’t see us anymore.”

“But you’re still in love with me.” It wasn’t really a question and when Matthew didn’t reply, Leon knew that he had his answer, but there were still questions that needed to be answered. “Was it Connor?” Leon asked again. 

Matthew just shook his head. “We’re just two different people now than we were before. And look, your career’s taken off since we broke up.”

“My career? Do you think I cared about my career when my childhood best friend and boyfriend left me sitting on the floor sobbing? I wanted you! That was all I needed.” Matthew was being difficult and wasn’t telling him what happened that day. “Fine, I’m leaving.” Leon relaxed his grip on Matthew and went to find the one person who could possibly answer the remaining questions that he had if Matthew wouldn’t.

“Connor!” He yelled when he got home. He found Connor sitting on the couch looking at some of their new pictures. “We need to talk.”

“That doesn’t sound good.” Connor said jovially, but when he turned and saw how serious Leon looked he put the magazine down and became equally stoic.

“That evening when you first met Matthew, what did you tell him?” Leon demanded trying his best to not yell at Connor, but his gut feeling told him that there was something off.

“I told him the truth.” Connor shrugged.

_ “I’m Connor McDavid.” He outstretched his hand. _

_“It’s really nice to meet you as well.” Matthew gladly shook it and smiled at Connor._

_“It was really nice to work with Leon, he has some natural talent, that guy.” Matthew smiled at hearing such praise for a well-respected model like Connor._

_“That’s amazing hearing it from you. He’s idolized you for a while.” Matthew replied and Connor played down the flattery with a wave of his hand._

_“Down to the point. You should break up with him.”_

_“W-what?” Matthew sputtered, mystified by the change in events._

_“Leon loves you, and you seem like a really, really nice guy, but if you stay by his side you will hold him back._

_“He’s gorgeous, but people will not give him jobs because he’s tied to you. You won’t be able to deal with his lifestyle being away from home for extended periods of time. Do you think that a relationship with him being famous and you being normal can last? Look at what happened today. People mistook you for his manager or assistant, right?”_

_“You’re just jealous.” Matthew shot back, though his argument was weakened by the truth in what Connor was saying. Perhaps he was just vocalizing Matthew’s fears, but hearing them aloud made them seem even more like the truth._

_“I once had someone like you by my side, a regular person, and things were fine, for a while, but then he became insecure and I was torn between my job and him and things didn’t work out. It’s not just me though, there are other people who’ve tried to work things out with regular people and it just doesn’t work.”_

_“Do you ever regret it?” Matthew asked Connor._

_“No.” He replied tersely, but even he wasn’t sure if it was the truth._

After Connor had relayed what had happened between them, he was met with a stunned gasp from Leon, who by now had started to cry. “You told him that? You had no business to do that.” 

“I was right though. After you broke up with him you became more popular.” Connor pointed out and it was true.

“Even if we faced those problems, I would have given up my career for him.” Leon said, angrier than he’d ever been.

“That’s why he broke up with you. All you probably talked to him about was your dream of being famous and he knew that you loved him. He knew that you wouldn’t kick him to the curb, but he didn’t want you to sacrifice your dream for him.” 

“Is that what happened with your person?” Leon asked Connor.

He paled and replied, “No.”

“I have to go, we’re through, Connor, I can’t lose him again,” Leon ran out of the apartment and knew what he needed to do. All of the feelings that he had had from three years ago came back to him, or rather were awoken from their dormant state. He ran across town to where he had left Matthew in his studio room. He ran and when he reached it he saw the lights were still on. Thankfully, when he jangled the doorknob it released and he plowed through the gallery.

In the studio where he had left him, Leon found Matthew hunched over his workspace burying his head in his hands. As he approached, he saw Matthew’s shoulders shake and heard sniffles coming from him. “You’re such an idiot.” Leon said, and Matthew stood up at hearing that familiar voice.

Leon walked over to him and threw his arms over the other’s neck. “Matty, Matty.” Leon whispered the name soothingly to Matthew who had now buried his head in the crook of Leon’s neck and inhaled his scent as if it was just a dream. “Why did you think that you had to have the burden of making decisions for us on your own? Connor told me everything and I had no idea that you had such insecurities about us.” Leon pressed his forehead up to Matthew’s and looked him in the eyes.

“What are you doing here?”

“I choose you. I’d have chosen you then if you’d given me the chance.”

“I thought you hated me.” Matthew choked out. “I wanted you to be happy. I wanted you to live out your dream.”

“It means nothing if I don’t have you with me. I’m so glad that you came to the Chrysler Building that night and made me question things.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t keep my promise.” Matthew continued to cry and Leon gently smoothed his hair with his hand like old times.

“It’s okay, I love you and besides, we still have eternity together, and besides you need your muse back.” Leon promised.

_ Two years later _

“Close your eyes.” Matthew covered Leon’s eyes with his hands as he guided him to an undisclosed location. Matthew had planned this for a while and Leon graciously agreed to join him.

“Step up.” Leon moved tentatively since he was deprived of his vision but trusted Matthew . He kept his eyes closed while Matthew moved away for a split second and suddenly he felt the ground beneath him begin to move and heard a mechanical whirring. “Are we in an elevator?” Leon asked but Matthew didn’t divulge any details and only replied “You’ll see eventually.” Holding Leon’s hands out in front of him to guide him, Matthew pulled him out of the elevator and gently dragged him forward. 

“Where are we?” Leon asked.

“Okay, open your eyes.” 

Leon looked and when he saw the familiar New York skyline, the trademark of the Chrysler Building.

“This is two year too late, but these past two years being with you have been the happiest of my life. The three years when we weren’t together were hell for me, but I love you and I know I’m still just a regular guy, and you are Leon Draisaitl, but when we’re together, I don’t see us that way anymore. I love you, I love you, I will tell you that every day for the rest of my life if you will spend them with me.”

“Even if you didn’t know it, you asked me five years ago. You asked me when you showed up here three years after we broke up and I already said yes when I accepted you back in my life.”

Matthew kissed him on top of the Chrysler Building completely oblivious to who might be looking or taking pictures and he decided to take Leon to his next job, coincidentally with Connor. “Hello, Matthew.”

“Hello, Connor.” The two greeted having long set aside the past.

“I asked Leon to stay with me today and he agreed.”

“Of course he agreed, he broke up with me to be with you of all people,” Connor joked. It had taken a while, but the three had developed a strong friendship.

“You know, it’s not impossible to have a relationship with a non-celebrity. There are problems, sure, but it’s not impossible. Maybe you should give him a call.”

“Nah, he’s over me. I promise you.” Connor smiled a bitter smile and walked inside with Leon for their job.

The photoshoot went smoothly and they took a fifteen-minute break in which Connor took out his cell phone.

His finger hovered over the speed dial and he pressed the button just so that he could hear the sound of the other’s voice.

“Hi, you’ve reached Dylan Strome, I’m sorry that I can’t come to the phone, but please leave your contact information and I’ll get back to you.”

Connor heard the tone buzz, but didn’t talk. He never did. He was ready to end the call when a voice began to speak on the other end. “Hello… hello…Connor, is that you?”

Connor cleared his throat and began to speak. “Hi Dylan. How are you?”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be a sequel coming up about Connor and Dylan. Hope you enjoyed though <3

**Author's Note:**

> The second part is completed and will be posted in the next few days. Enjoy!


End file.
